Mt. Hart Wilderness Lodge/Homestead

Gibb River Road, WA

Mt. Hart Wilderness Lodge is located off the western half of the Gibb River Road.
The most scenic part of the Gibb River Road climbs over the King Leopold Ranges, and that's exactly where you find Mount Hart Homestead.

The Mt. Hart Station lease covers almost a million acres in the King Leopold Ranges. The landscape with its sheltered green valleys and many unusual geological features is very different from the rest of the Gibb River Road.

The  50km access track makes for a very scenic drive, winding and climbing through the ranges. This really is a unique and exceptionally beautiful area.

When I visited Mt. Hart for the first time (in 2009!) I was surprised to find the place totally different from what I expected. At the time, the promotional descriptions were in my opinion a little misleading. Maybe it's just me, but what I expected was one of those posh and manicured places, with focus on creature comforts, where everything revolves around pampering the discerning guests...

Luckily it was nothing like that! Mt. Hart was a wild and natural place, full of character and history, and 100% authentic Kimberley.

Having said that, back then Mt. Hart was still managed by Taffy Abbots and a lot has changed since. I will tell you more on that below.

The most important thing for you to know is that recently Mount Hart changed hands again. The new management team took over with the start of 2023.

Mount Hart Under New Management

When a new operator takes over any business, they usually come in with a vision, a lot of enthusiasm, and a lot of energy. Because of that, especially the first few years under fresh management are often a really good time to visit.

This is exactly what happened at Mt. Hart also. A lot of effort and money was put into upgrades and the reviews from the 2023 season mostly rave about the wonderful staff, who "would give you the shirt of their backs if you asked," as one reviewer put it.

Also important to understand is the vision that a new operator has for a place. And in the case of Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge the vision is that of an exclusive luxury lodge.

To that end the homestead interior (the most high end accommodation option) has been comprehensively renovated, new glamping options were added ("deluxe bell tents")...

...menus were overhauled (now you can get cocktails and barista made coffee at the bar, cuisine at the restaurant was designed by the acclaimed ex-Executive Chef of award-winning Blue Water Grill, Brad Leahy) and a lot of effort was put into improving the gardens and surrounds.

Another important addition are 4WD tours on and helicopter flights over the property with its hidden waterfalls and gorges.

The riverside bush campground still exists and bush campers are still welcome. You don't HAVE to book into the new luxury tents there or elsewhere on the property. Having said that, at $30 per person per night even this is a pricey option.

But if you can swing it, go and have a look. Because no matter how often management changes, the country doesn't. And as I wrote in my opening paragraphs, this really is a unique and exceptionally beautiful area.

If you want to know more, keep reading. Be aware that everything below was written years ago, and especially the photos are from days gone by, taken - as all photos on this website - by myself, friends or readers. (Whereas the photos in this section were supplied by Mount Hart.)

About Mount Hart

Initially Mt. Hart Station was taken up as a pastoral lease. Different owners struggled from 1914 to 1987 to make the place work, but nobody succeeded. The area is just too rugged and remote to make cattle viable.

Draughts and floods meant the homestead was shifted several times. The heritage homestead that accommodates visitors today was built in 1960.

Eventually Mt. Hart was declassified as a viable pastoral lease and finally the area was gazetted as the King Leopold Conservation Park in 2000.

Taffy Abbotts managed Mt. Hart (as a joint management venture with the Department of Environment and Conservation, now the Department of Parks and Wildlife) since 1990, and there wasn't much left of the place when he arrived. What you find here today is entirely the result of his dedication and love for the place.

Kim arrived at Mt. Hart to stay for one night, and eight years later she was still here, giving Taffy a hand to run the show.

Between them they maintained, financed, extended and preserved Mt Hart's history, homesteads and gardens, something that unfortunately the DEC had not really shown much interest in.

The story of the establishment of the original homestead, in fact, the whole history of Mt. Hart, is well worth watching: Kim has skillfully put together a 12 minute DVD, hilariously narrated by the unimitable Taffy. You can watch the DVD at the bar at the homestead. It will make you laugh out loud a few times, but more importantly, it will make you look at the place with different eyes.

Taffy had estimated the value of the improvements he had undertaken at about A$1.9 million. Being a man of the bush he had done everything in good faith and based on oral agreements only. He had expected to grow old at Mount Hart, a place he dearly loved. That was not to be.

In 2010 the Department of Environment and Conservation asked him to leave, just like that,  and offered him A$200,000 if he did so within 28 days.

Taffy and Kim tried to reason and tried to fight for their home, but being two simple people against the relentless mills of a government department, they got nowhere.

Here is the newsletter issue that I sent to my readers during that time.

The newsletter elicited a huge avalanche of mails and phone calls to the DEC and to the state government representative, the media took note and made sure the rest of Australia did too. Many influential people got on board to help Taffy and while nobody could prevent him from being forced off the property, at least he managed to negotiate much more time and better financial compensation.

In 2011 Taffy and Kim received an undisclosed amount and left Mount Hart.

As expected, the Mount Hart service contract was then awarded to the upmarket tourism operator APT, who operates several luxury wilderness lodges throughout the Kimberley. But APT did not end up converting Mount Hart into another of their wilderness lodges. In fact, they soon tried to get out of their financial obligations altogether, and they never spent any money on the place or did any improvements.

After a period of neglect, Mount Hart was finally taken over by Colin and Mitsie Fitzgerald, who already owned several tourism businesses in Kununurra. They have been looking after Mount Hart and operating the accommodation and campground since 2015.

And finally, with the close of 2022, today's management team under Luke Hayman took over.

I would say today Mount Hart is a warm and welcoming place again, but it is not what it used to be. Something has been lost forever.

Staying at Mount Hart
Wilderness Lodge and Homestead

Accommodation at Mt. Hart is in two heritage homesteads with shared bathroom facilities.

One building is the original homestead (pictured further up the page), and lucky you if you get to stay there. The place really has something. The second homestead was built by Taffy, in the same style as the original one. It looks very similar on the surface, but it doesn't shelter the same memories and spirits of the past.

(Just a reminder, these are old photos and don't reflect the current state of the accommodation and facilities.)

Alternatively you can stay in the new safari tents with ensuites that were put in by the Fitzgeralds.

Dinners and breakfasts can be booked at extra cost and are a buffet style, get together affair in the communal dining room, also known as Eagle Rock Restaurant.
(Since renamed to "Pippa's Corner".)

There is also a fabulous campground (Taffy had only built it just before leaving), located on the bank of the Barker River. It's a lovely campground, especially right down in the bend of the river, where you can access it for a swim.

Campers can of course also book into the Eagle Rock Restaurant (now "Pippa's Corner") or join everybody at the Three Dingoes Bar (now "Setller's Bar") after dinner.

Mt. Hart's dingoes are also special. They are pure dingoes that are not kept as pets but come and go as they like. However, they were hand reared by Taffy and used to be very friendly! In the past you certainly met them because they used to hang around the homestead,  visit you in the campground and they were also known to sneak into the dining room.

That does not happen any more, but they are still more friendly than the average wild dingo and you may see the older ones or the next generation as you are exploring the property. (Actually, not any more. Those days are gone, too.)

What else is there to do at Mt. Hart?

Annie Creek Gorge is a great little wilderness walk, easily extended into a great longer wilderness walk, if you are so inclined. Just follow the creek.

Mt. Matthew Gorge also has a delightful creek, meandering through the black rocks and cliffs of the gorge, with dozens of shady, small pools, rapids and waterfalls.

You can follow it as far upstream as you like, though this time the emphasis is on relaxing in the pools, not so much on bushwalking.

If you want to go for a real swim the best place is Barker Pool, a long and deep section of the Barker River where you can do Olympic length laps if you like.

And for sunset there is the Sunset Hill, just across from the homestead. It's a nice little 4WD climb up the hill, in low range, totally blinded by the setting sun and hoping for the best.

Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge is unique, totally different from all the other places and gorges along the Gibb River Road. Especially if you come from the Kununurra side and those gorges are starting to all look the same, Mt. Hart is a really nice contrast.

Mount Hart website

Read about other stations and accommodations along the Gibb River Road.

Read about other stations and accommodations along the Gibb River Road.

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